A connector subassembly for a cable having insulated wires, comprising a metal body containing an electrical insulating block and center contacts, each of which is connected to one wire of the cable.

Abstract

To provide a connector subassembly for a cable having an insulation electric wire formed of a metal main body housing an electric insulation block and a center contact connected to one electric wire of the cable.SOLUTION: The present invention essentially provides a connector subassembly having an electric insulation block and an external shield main body. The external shield main body comprises open parts. Those open parts overlap each other, and are relatively arranged so that not only a center contact is precisely reached to a reference insertion position, but also a progress state in a block inner part when the center contact is being inserted can be confirmed from an external part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of data and / or electrical transmission connectors.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector in which a center contact is connected to, and preferably crimped onto, the end of an electrical cable wire.

[0003] More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector for transmitting data using a cable having one or more pairs of shielded or unshielded transmission wires.

[0004] More generally, the present invention relates to any type of connector for transmitting electrical and / or data and / or radio frequency (RF) signals.

[0005] One useful application is in automotive connectors. [Background technology]

[0006] In the field of connectors for transmitting electrical signals and / or data and / or radio frequency (RF) signals, connectors are known that have an electrical insulating block with a pre-assembled central contact and each contact that is crimped or intended to be crimped around the stripped end of an electrical cable wire.

[0007] During assembly of such connectors, it is important to ensure that each center contact is inserted or installed into a final reference position within the outer body or housing of the connector.

[0008] The '691 patent discloses a connector of this type having pre-assembled subassemblies, as shown in FIG.

[0009] The pre-assembled connector subassembly 1 is intended to be connected and assembled to a cable 2 having mutually insulated wires.

[0010] The subassembly 1 comprises a metal body 10 made by cutting and rolling to form the electromagnetic shield body.

[0011] The shield body 10 houses an insulating block 11 into which are inserted center contacts 12, 13. The center contacts 12, 13 have end crimp portions 14, 15 which extend by projecting towards the rear of the insulating block 11.

[0012] These end portions 14, 15 of the center contacts 12, 13 are crimped around the stripped ends of the wire conductors of the electrical cable.

[0013] This crimping can be done before or after the central contacts 12, 13 are inserted into the insulating block 11 in a reference position that needs to be as accurate as possible for the subassembly comprising the shield body and the insulator.

[0014] Furthermore, in certain applications, particularly in automotive applications, it is necessary to be able to measure, particularly with the aid of a laser or optical camera, the position of the end of the center contact relative to the electrical insulating block of the connector or relative to the shield body.

[0015] Furthermore, the front portion of the insulator may include a feature used to guide and center the mating male center contact during connection with the mating connector, thereby mechanically protecting the petal formed at the free end of the female center contact. This frustoconical feature is an extension of the through-hole, usually called a "closed entry" or "chamfer," and allows the mating male center contact to pass only if it is in the correct radial position. This frustoconical feature may hinder the positioning of the female center contact, since its end is not visible from the front portion of the insulator. In this case, a standard solution exists via one or more windows for viewing the female center contact from the side or top / bottom of the connector.

[0016] As mentioned above, Patent Document 2 proposes a window for viewing the end of the center contact assembled in the body of the connector. The main drawback of the solution disclosed therein is that viewing is possible if and only if the center contact is correctly inserted. Therefore, it is not possible to track the path of the center contact as it is being inserted. Therefore, if a portion of the center contact is misaligned and / or undesirably deformed as it is being inserted, this may remain undetected, although it may ultimately have a negative impact on the operation of the connector.

[0017] Furthermore, the proposed solution is implemented for a connector with a single center contact and therefore cannot be replaced by a connector with two center contacts placed side by side, as in the configuration of Figure 1.

[0018] Finally, given the relative position of the center contact and the very small opening of the disclosed viewing window, it is difficult, at the very least, to guarantee measurement of the center contact.

[0019] Furthermore, this solution does not allow for a direct measurement of the position of the center contact relative to the forward face of the insulator, because the insulator is not in the field of view of the monitoring operator or measuring machine at the same time as the center contact, when it is visible through the viewing window. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0020] [Patent Document 1] French Patent No. 3074616 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 11,437,738 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0021] Therefore, there is a need for further improvements to the connector that allow the end of the center contact in its reference position to be measured against the electrical insulating block, and not only to confirm that the reference insertion position of the center contact is correct within the connector, but also to confirm the insertion step into the connector even before the center contact reaches said reference position.

[0022] The object of the present invention is to address all or part of this need. [Means for solving the problem]

[0023] To this end, one subject of the present invention, according to one of its aspects, is a connector subassembly, which comprises: at least one central contact intended to be connected, preferably crimped, to the ends of the wires of the electric cable; an electrically insulating block having at least one cavity in which the center contact is inserted into a reference position and at least one viewing opening opening from the cavity; a conductive body forming a shield body, the conductive body including a sheet for holding an electrically insulating block, the shield body including at least one viewing opening opening to the outside; Equipped with The forward portion of the insulating block projects longitudinally beyond the forward portion of the shield body, the viewing openings in the insulating block and the shield body are dimensioned and positioned relative to one another so as to make at least the free end of the center contact visible from the outside as the center contact is being inserted before it reaches a reference position and after it reaches the reference position, and the distance between the free end of the center contact and the forward end of the forward portion of the insulating block defining the reference plane is measurable from the outside using optical means, where "reference position" refers to the final expected position of the center contact within the electrical insulating block into which a matching center contact may be mated.

[0024] Advantageously, the optical means are arranged to measure the distance perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the subassembly, in other words, this distance is measured optically, insofar as the design of the front insulator allows, without making use of any additional means beyond those required for the measurement itself, such as one or more mirrors designed to view the free end of the centre contact from its front face.

[0025] The conductive body is preferably a unitary part.

[0026] Also preferably, the one or more viewing openings in the insulating block are not through openings.

[0027] The longitudinal projection of the forward portion of the insulating block provides additional space that can be utilized to provide a frusto-conical shape to the plug hole of the mating center contact, as will be described in more detail below.

[0028] According to a second advantageous variant embodiment, the front part of the insulating block projects radially beyond the inner wall of the shield body that defines the seat of the insulating block, the radial projection of the insulating block providing physical protection for all flexible grounding lugs of the shield body that may be affected by mishandling.

[0029] Advantageously, these two variants are combined: the front portion of the insulating block projects longitudinally beyond the front portion of the shield body and radially beyond the inner wall of the shield body, thereby optimizing the impedance match at the interface between the center contact and the shield body.

[0030] According to another advantageous variant, the front part of the insulating block comprises at least one through hole facing the cavity and at least a portion of a frusto-conical upper wall extending from the front part of the hole, said hole being designed to mechanically protect the free end of the center contact, said frusto-conical portion allowing the mating center contact, typically male, to be realigned during insertion into the electrical insulating block before mating with the center contact, typically female, in the reference position.

[0031] According to one advantageous embodiment, the free end of each central contact comprises longitudinal strips in the form of petals spaced apart from one another, the viewing openings of the insulating block and of the shield body being dimensioned and arranged relative to one another so that at least a portion of at least one petal is visible from the outside.

[0032] According to this embodiment, advantageously, the viewing openings in the insulating block and in the shield body are dimensioned and positioned relative to one another so that a single petal is visible from the outside, the external viewing zone being kept as small as possible, thereby minimizing electromagnetic interference (EMI).

[0033] Further according to this embodiment, the viewing openings in the insulating block and the shield body are sized and positioned relative to one another such that at least a portion of the length of at least one petal is externally visible when the center contact is in a reference position, thereby making it possible to verify that the center contact is not deformed as it is being inserted.

[0034] According to another advantageous variant embodiment, the shield body comprises a radially flexible lug intended to form an electrical grounding lug that partially defines the viewing opening.

[0035] According to another advantageous embodiment, the subassembly comprises two center contacts whose rear parts are intended to be crimped around the conductors of stripped electric wires at the ends of these wires, the insulating block comprising two parallel cavities into which one of the two center contacts is inserted, and a protrusion projecting longitudinally at the rear part and designed to guide each of the two center contacts that are to be crimped onto the conductors of the stripped electric wires as they are being inserted, the rear protrusion of the insulating block thus making it easier to insert the center contacts that have previously been individually crimped onto the electric wires.

[0036] The present invention also provides at least one subassembly as described above; a housing in which the subassembly is seated and secured; The present invention relates to a connector comprising:

[0037] Thus, the present invention essentially consists of a connector subassembly having an electrically insulating block and an outer shield body with openings that overlap one another and are positioned relative to one another so as to allow external viewing of not only whether the center contact has reached the correct nominal insertion position, but also the progress within the block as the center contact is being inserted.

[0038] By functionally measuring the distance from the front end of the forward portion of the insulating block defining the reference plane using external optical means, electrical performance, and in particular electrical continuity, between the center contacts is ensured.

[0039] The present invention includes many advantages over prior art connectors, including the following: Several shapes, including a frusto-conical "closed entry" insulator, protect the ends of the petals of the female center contact. Verification of correct assembly is provided by externally viewing the center contact within the electrical insulating block both as it is being inserted and after it has reached its reference position. The ability to accurately measure the distance between the front wall of the insulating block and the end of the center contact in its nominal position allows for optimized positioning of the center contact within the insulator, thereby optimizing coverage of the mated center contact. Any flexible ground lugs formed in the shield body are physically protected by the radially protruding forward portion of the insulating block. Despite the presence of the viewing aperture, the RF performance, especially the characteristic impedance and EMI leakage, is at least maintained.

[0040] Other advantages and features of the invention will become more clearly apparent upon reading the detailed description of exemplary implementations of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the following figures, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an example connector subassembly having a center contact to be crimped according to the prior art; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a connector subassembly having a center contact according to the present invention in a pre-assembled configuration and connected to a cable. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a top view of the subassembly according to FIG. 2, with the central contact seen from the outside in a position during insertion. [Figure 4] 3 is a top view of the subassembly according to FIG. 2, with the central contact seen from the outside in its nominal plugged-in position. [Figure 4A] 3 is a longitudinal section of the subassembly according to FIG. 2, seen from the outside with the central contact in its nominal plugged-in position; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an electrical insulating block of a connector subassembly according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 6 is a partial perspective view of the insulating block according to FIG. 5, showing the relative positions of the wires of a cable that are crimped by a center contact inserted into the insulating block. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a connector subassembly according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 8 is an exploded view of a connector according to the present invention having a subassembly according to FIG. 7 and a connector housing in which the subassembly is seated and secured. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] Throughout this application, the terms "front" and "rear" should be understood relative to the mating face of the connector subassembly according to the invention. Thus, the front portion of the insulating block is the portion intended to be in contact with that portion of the mating connector, and the front portion of the center contact is the portion intended to mate with the center contact of the mating connector.

[0043] For clarity, the same reference numerals have been used for identical elements in the prior art subassembly and the subassembly according to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 1 has already been explained in detail in the introduction and will therefore not be discussed further.

[0045] 2 to 4A show a connector subassembly 1 according to the present invention in an assembled configuration with its two central contacts in their nominal insertion positions.

[0046] The connector subassembly 1 extends along a longitudinal axis X and is pre-assembled since it comprises an electrical insulating block 11 pre-assembled to a unitary metal body 10 forming an electromagnetic shielding body. The subassembly 1 is connected to and assembled with a cable 2 having mutually insulated wires.

[0047] The unitary metal body 10 forming the electromagnetic shield body is made by cutting and rolling to ensure electrical coupling and impedance matching.

[0048] Alternatively, the body may be formed from two longitudinal sections.

[0049] The shield body 10 is internally defined by a sheet 100, and the electrical insulating block 11 is held by this sheet 100.

[0050] Inserted into the electrical insulating block 11 are center contacts 12, 13, which in particular have end crimped portions (not shown) that protrude and extend towards the rear of the insulating block 11.

[0051] These end portions of the center contacts 12 , 13 are crimped around the stripped ends of the wire conductors of the electrical cable 2 .

[0052] In the illustrated example, each center contact 12, 13 is female and includes strips of material 120, 130 at the forward end of each center contact 12, 13 that are separated from one another to form petals.

[0053] The shield body 10 is provided with flexible lugs 101 forming electrical grounding lugs distributed along its front periphery, of which there are four in the example shown.

[0054] A portion of the front portion of the shield body is cut out to open forward, and this cutout defines forward-opening openings 102, 103 on either side of a ground lug 101 extending along one of the longitudinal edges of the body 10, which form openings for viewing the center contact 12 or 13.

[0055] The shield body 10 further comprises a narrow rear portion 104. This narrow portion 104 allows for impedance matching between the rear portion of the subassembly 1, where the cable 2 is crimped, preferably below the shield braid, and the front portion comprising the insulating block 11 into which the center contacts 12, 13 are inserted.

[0056] The insulating block 11 has a front portion 110 that projects longitudinally beyond the front part of the shielding body 10 and radially beyond the inner wall of the shielding body that forms the sheet 100. The front end of the front portion 110 of the insulating block 11 defines a reference plane. In this way, the impedance match at the interface between the subassembly 1 according to the invention and a compatible subassembly that is to be coupled thereto is optimized. The radial projection of the front portion 110 mechanically protects the grounding lug 101 during coupling with the compatible subassembly or other handling of the subassembly.

[0057] The insulating block 11 includes cutouts 112, 113 at the rear of the front portion 110 and on both sides of the partition wall 111, which extend the seating cavities 114, 115 for the center contacts 12, 13. The cutouts 112, 113 define openings that open outward from the insulating block 11, providing a viewing opening for the center contacts 12 or 13. As shown, none of the openings 112, 113 are through-holes; rather, they open only at the longitudinal edges of the block 11 that are overlapped by the edges of the shield body 10 where the viewing openings 102, 103 are located. This helps optimize impedance at the openings 112, 113, ensuring that as much dielectric material of the insulating block 11 as possible is retained and not replaced by air. The overlap of the shield body 10 over the cutouts 112, 113 limits EMI leakage.

[0058] Additionally, the forward portion 110 has through holes 116, 118 facing the respective seating cavities 114, 115 for the center contacts 12, 13. The forwardly extending peripheral walls 117, 119 of each hole 116, 118 are frustoconical. This frustoconical shape allows for realignment during insertion of the male center contact of the mating connector, so that the center contacts 12, 13 with their petals 120, 130 can be mated with the male center contact of the mating connector in its nominal insertion position. The diameter of each hole 116, 118 is smaller than the outer diameter of the forward portion of the center contacts 12, 13. This allows the male center contact of the mating connector to be accurately guided within the diameter of the hole 116, 118 to target the space between the petals 120, 130 and prevent any collision with and damage to the forward ends of the petals 120, 130. In other words, the holes 116, 118 act as mechanical protection for the contacts 12, 13 during insertion and mating of the mating male contacts.

[0059] The presence of each hole 116, 118 and re-centering wall 117, 119 provides a protective feature for the center contacts 12, 13 called "closed entry."

[0060] The presence of the limited diameter holes 116, 118 which conceal the center contacts 12, 13 from the front face of the subassembly makes it impossible to verify whether the center contacts 12, 13 are in the nominal insertion position.

[0061] To overcome this problem, notches 112, 113 are formed in the insulating block and notches 102, 103 are formed in the shield body, which make it possible to verify that the center contacts 12, 13 are in their correct insertion position.

[0062] In accordance with the present invention, the viewing openings 112, 113 in the insulating block and the viewing openings 102, 103 in the shield body 10 are sized and positioned relative to one another so that at least the free end of the center contact is visible from the outside before the center contact reaches its reference position as it is being inserted (FIG. 3) and after it reaches its reference position (FIGS. 4, 4A).

[0063] In other words, these viewing openings 102, 103, 112, 113 define two mutually extending viewing zones Z1, Z2 which allow first to view the progress of the center contacts 12, 13 as they are being inserted into the insulating block 11, and then to view the center contacts once they have reached their nominal insertion position.

[0064] In the example shown in Figures 3-4A, the cutouts 102, 103 in the shield body are formed by a material recess 105, which allows the viewing openings 102, 103 to be kept as small as possible, thereby allowing visibility of at least one of the petals 120, 130 located in zone Z1. This minimizes EMI leakage by partially covering the cutouts 112, 113 in the insulating block with a portion of the shield body 10. Furthermore, this partial coverage of these cutouts 112, 113 with the portion 110 of the shield body also helps to locally optimize the impedance of the transmission line. The material recess 105 in the shield body also widens the viewing zone Z2, allowing the forward ends of the contacts 12, 13 to be viewed across the entire width of the contacts. Zone Z2 allows for measuring the distance between the center contact and, for example, the forward end of the forward portion of the insulating block.

[0065] 5 and 6 show an advantageous variant in which the electrical insulating block 11 has a longitudinally projecting projection 1100 at the rear thereof, which projection 1100 is used to guide each of the two central contacts 12, 13 crimped onto the conductors of the stripped wires 22, 23 of the cable 2 having the sheath 21 during insertion of the contacts 12, 13.

[0066] The assembly method of the above-mentioned subassembly 1 includes the following steps: i) assembling the electrical insulation block 11 through the front part of the shield body 10 into a seat 100 provided for this purpose in the shield body 10; ii) crimping the central contacts 12, 13 onto the wires 22, 23 of the electrical cable; iii) inserting each pre-wired central contact 12, 13 into a seating cavity 114, 115 provided for this purpose in the insulating block 11, preferably using guidance from a protrusion 1100 located at the rear of the insulating block 11; iv) visually inspecting each of the central contacts 12, 13 in zone Z1 as they are being inserted; v) visually inspecting each of the central contacts 12, 13 in the zone Z2, which indicates that each of the central contacts 12, 13 has reached its nominal insertion position; vi) visually measuring from the outside the position of the end of the central contact relative to the forward end of the insulating block 11 which defines the reference plane; Includes:

[0067] Step ii) may be performed before step i).

[0068] FIG. 7 shows the components of a subassembly 1 according to the invention.

[0069] Figure 8 shows a connector 200 having an adapted housing 16 within which is seated and secured a subassembly 1 similar to that of Figure 7, with each center contact 12, 13 pre-crimped at its crimping portion 14, 15 to one stripped end of one of the wires 22, 23 of the cable 2.

[0070] The housing 16 therefore comprises an inner seat 160 shaped to receive the wired subassembly 1 .

[0071] Other variations and modifications may be realized without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0072] Although the illustrated example connector subassembly is configured so that two center contacts 12, 13 are inserted into mutually parallel seating cavities 114, 115, the present invention can also be implemented so that a single center contact or more than two center contacts are inserted into a given electrical insulating block. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Connector Subassembly 2. Electrical cables 10 Metal body, shield body 11 Electrical insulation block 12 Central Contact 13 Central Contact 14 Crimped end 15 Crimped end 16 Housing 21 Sheath 22 Electric wire 100 sheets 101 Flexible lug, ground lug 102 Forward opening, viewing opening, cutout 103 Forward opening, viewing opening, cutout 104 Narrow rear section 105 Material recess 110 Front part 111 Partition Wall 112 Cutouts, openings, and viewing openings 113 Cutouts, openings, and viewing openings 114 Seating cavity 115 seating cavity 116 through hole 117 Peripheral wall, realignment wall 118 through hole 119 Peripheral wall, realignment wall 120 Material Strips, Petal 130 Material Strips, Petal 160 inner seat 200 Connectors 1100 Protrusion Z1 Visibility Zone Z2 Visibility Zone

Claims

1. A connector subassembly (1), at least one central contact (12, 13) intended to be connected to the ends of the wires (22, 23) of the electric cable (2); an electrically insulating block (11) having at least one cavity (114, 115) in which the center contact is inserted to a reference position, and at least one viewing opening (112, 113) opening from the cavity; a conductive body (10) forming a shield body, the conductive body (10) including a sheet (100) for holding the electrical insulating block, the shield body having at least one viewing opening (102, 103) opening toward the outside; Equipped with a forward portion (110) of the insulating block protruding longitudinally beyond a forward portion of the shield body, the viewing openings of the insulating block and the shield body being dimensioned and positioned relative to each other such that at least a free end of the center contact is visible from the outside while the center contact is being inserted before the center contact reaches a reference position and after the center contact reaches a reference position, and the distance between the free end (120, 130) of the center contact and a forward end of the forward portion of the insulating block defining a reference plane is measurable from the outside using optical means.

2. 2. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the optical means is configured to measure the distance perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the subassembly.

3. 3. The subassembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductive body (10) is a unitary part.

4. The subassembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more viewing openings (112, 113) in the insulating block (11) are not through openings.

5. The subassembly of claim 1 , wherein the forward portion (110) of the insulating block projects radially beyond an inner wall of the shield body that defines the seat of the insulating block.

6. 2. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the front portion (110) of the insulating block comprises at least one through hole (116, 118) facing the cavity and at least a portion of a frusto-conical upper wall (117, 119) extending from the front portion of the hole, the hole being designed to mechanically protect the free end (120, 130) of the center contact.

7. 2. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the free end of each center contact comprises spaced-apart longitudinal strips (120, 130) in the form of petals, and the viewing openings in the insulating block and the shield body are sized and positioned relative to one another such that at least a portion of at least one petal is externally visible.

8. The subassembly of claim 4 , wherein the viewing openings in the insulating block and the shield body are sized and positioned relative to one another such that a single petal is externally visible.

9. 5. The subassembly of claim 4, wherein the viewing openings in the insulating block and the shield body are sized and positioned relative to one another such that at least a portion of the length of at least one petal is externally visible when the center contact is in the reference position.

10. 2. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the shield body comprises a radially flexible lug (101) intended to form an electrical grounding lug that partially defines the viewing opening.

11. 2. The subassembly of claim 1, comprising two center contacts, the rear portions of which are intended to be crimped around the conductors of the stripped wires at the ends of the wires, the insulating block comprising two parallel cavities into which one of the two center contacts is inserted, and protrusions (1100) protruding longitudinally at the rear portion and designed to guide each of the two center contacts that are crimped onto the conductors of the stripped wires (22, 23) when the two center contacts are being inserted.

12. A subassembly according to claim 1; a housing (16) in which the subassembly is seated and secured; A connector (200) comprising:

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